Information on a range of Women's Health Services, including Breast Screening and Cervical Screening can be found in the Service Directory

Healthy Living

visit this area a wealth of information on healthy living in Tasmania for people of all ages on a huge range of topics.

 

Feature

Hobart Women's Health Centre

There are numerous excellent sites on the Internet with great women's health information and resources. The following sites are good places to start searching.

• Australian Women's Health Network
• Women Tasmania
• Better Health Channel
• Family Planning Tasmania
• Hobart Women's Health Centre
• Jean Hailes Foundation for Woman's Health

 

Women's Health Program

Tasmanian Women's Health Program

The Tasmanian Women's Health Program is part of Population Health, in the Department of Health and Human Services. 

The Program aims to maximise women's access to information and to increase options and choices around their health and wellbeing.

Women's Health staff provide information to women and service providers about health issues and services, and works within the health system to improve services to women. The Program has a particular focus on the needs of low income women and women who have unequal access to the health system.

Why is Women's Health a target population group?

In the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Women's Health is part of a gendered approach to health and wellbeing.  This approach recognises gender as an important determinant of health, while also acknowledging inequalities within each gender with regard to age, class, culture, income, sexual orientation, ability, isolation, social support and coping skills.  Fundamental to this view is an understanding of the different historic contexts of women's and men's health, as well as the specific needs and issues of each gender.

Women's Health is an issue for a number of reasons: Women, particularly some sub-groups of women, suffer from the adverse effects of poverty and violence.  They are frequently the primary carers of children, families, people with disabilities and the elderly, with the result that their own health may be neglected. There are some health issues that are unique to women - for example, those related to childbirth, breastfeeding, menstruation and menopause. Breast cancer, cervical cancer, incontinence and cerebrovascular disease are also major issues for women.

Women's use of services is different from men's with women having higher rates of morbidity, chronic illnesses and disability and reporting more physical and emotional health problems.

What we do

The Tasmanian Women's Health Program, through its statewide health manager and regional staff, is responsible for the following functions:

Health Sector Development

The Program aims to encourage development of the health sector and promote more 'women-friendly' health services in various ways, for example, by:

• undertaking strategic planning for women's health;
• providing advice to the DHHS and the Minister for Health on women's issues;
• developing partnerships and joint initiatives with other DHHS program areas and other agencies;
• providing women's health training and information sessions for health/community workers;
• mentoring health/community workers and students;
• assisting individuals and services to access resources and write funding submissions;
• providing ways for women to participate in the health system;
• monitoring health needs in the community and advocating for appropriate responses in the health system; and
• supporting non-government agencies that work with women's health (Hobart Women's Health Centre; Family Planning Tasmania)

Information Services

Information services provided through the Program include:

• Women's Midlife Service;
• free-call women's health phone information and referral service - now including an Eating Disorders Information Service and Cross-cultural Health link;
• information mailouts to individuals and service providers;
• resource libraries in Launceston, Burnie and Hobart;
• internet access in Hobart and Launceston;
• information forums on topical women's health issues;
• information stalls at community events; and
• introduction to Computers and Internet services  is available in Hobart to individuals and small groups.

Special Projects

The Women's Health Program undertakes a wide range of special initiatives in response to the needs of women in Tasmania.  Examples of current initiatives include:

• Female Genital Mutilation - training for health workers;
• African women's projects in Hobart and Launceston;
• 'Life Fitness' Project in the North-West;
• Women's health education and promotion in rural and remote communities
• Arts-based projects to address health issues of specific groups (young women, low income women, women with disabilities, etc);
• Continence educator project in the North West
• 'Well Women's' clinics in areas of high need; and
• Women's health forums in Launceston;

For further information about any of the above functions and activities, please email Women's Health or phone 1800 675 028.